Aldeburgh Music is in the final stages of negotiations to buy Snape Maltings on the Suffolk coast.
Aldeburgh Festival’s home since 1967, the Maltings site today includes the 832-seat Snape Maltings Concert Hall, the Hoffman Building and the Britten-Pears Building, named after the Festival’s founders. The sale of the site by current owner George Gooderham will be the first in Aldebrugh Music’s existence.
A contribution of £2m by Arts Council England, along with payments made by individuals to support the investment, has given Aldeburgh Music sufficient funds to buy the site, with the completion of the sale expected on Wednesday 18 March.
Roger Wright, chief executive of Aldeburgh Music, says. ‘Without exceptional funding and support from Arts Council England, it would not have been possible for Aldeburgh Music to take advantage of this remarkable opportunity to protect the future of the Snape Maltings site.’
He continues: ‘Owning the whole site opens a myriad of possibilities, crucially the fulfilling of Britten’s vision for a creative campus with a new level of public engagements.’
Benjamin Britten and Peter Pears established Aldeburgh Festival in 1948 and it has since achieved incredible success, evolving into the year-long series of concerts that is Aldeburgh Music. This year’s festival runs from the 12 to 28 June and welcomes George Benjamin to appear as artist-in-residence as a conductor, pianist and curator.
Maisie Hiller
Aldeburgh Festival takes place from 12 to 28 June. Visit: www.aldeburgh.co.uk for further information
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